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¶¶£*†««~¨¨                                          ¨¨~««†*£¶¶
##¶£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£¶##
###¶£†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†£¶###
##¶£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨               WINDS ESKER                ¨~«=†*£¶##
£*†=««¨¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨««=†*£
##¶£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£¶##
¶¶£††==«~¨ THERE WAS THIS  PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨~«==††£¶¶
¶£††††=«~¨ I COULDN'T  GO TO. REGARDLESS  HOW  MUCH ¨~«=††††£¶
##¶£*†=«~¨ DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT ¨~«=†*£¶##
###¶£*†«~¨ ON MAPS,  I COULD NOT  THINK  OF IT WHEN ¨~«†*£¶###
££££*†=«~¨ ALONE.  I WOULD OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST  THE ¨~«=†*££££
##¶£*†=«~¨ FORK,  WHERE A RIGHT TURN  WOULD  SURELY ¨~«=†*£¶##
#£££*†=«~¨ TAKE ME THERE,  BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨~«=†*£££#
¶*=«¨¨¨¨¨¨               KEPT ME AWAY.              ¨¨¨¨¨¨«=*¶
##¶£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ WHEN I  FINALLY GOT  THERE,  AFTER  SOME ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ¨~«=†*£¶##
#¶££*†=«~¨ ASSUME,   THE  PLACE  WAS  SURREAL.   AN ¨~«=†*££¶#
¶**==~¨¨¨¨ ESKER, LIKE A  NEEDLE-THIN  RIFT  OUT IN ¨¨¨¨~==**¶
£†††==««~¨ THE  LAKE,  BUT  TEN  METERS  HIGH   AND ¨~««==†††£
##¶£*†=«~¨ ADORNED  IN BIRCH, WILLOW,  BRACKEN, AND ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨               BLUEBERRIES.               ¨~«=†*£¶##
¶¶¶£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£¶¶¶
££**=«~~¨¨ WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ¨¨~~«=**££
£*==~~¨¨¨¨ NOTICE THE VIEW  TO  EITHER SIDE.  THERE ¨¨¨¨~~==*£
#¶*=«¨¨¨¨¨ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I ¨¨¨¨¨«=*¶#
¶£*===~~¨¨ DIDN'T  RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF,  THEY ¨¨~~===*£¶
¶*=««¨¨¨¨¨ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS  THE LAKE SHOULD ¨¨¨¨¨««=*¶
##¶£*†=«~¨ STRETCH  FOR  A  HUNDRED  METERS MORE ON ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ BOTH  SIDES.  BUT  NOW  I FELT  I  COULD ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ ALMOST  REACH OUT AND  TOUCH  THEM.  AND ¨~«=†*£¶##
¶£††=«««~¨ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED  WHICH SHORES THEY ¨~«««=††£¶
#¶***†=«~¨           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           ¨~«=†***¶#
###£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£###
##¶£*†=«~¨ THEY  WERE OF  THE  RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ¨~«=†*£¶##
¶£††=~¨¨¨¨      LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND       ¨¨¨¨~=††£¶
£*†=«««~¨¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE A  PAIR OF  LUNGS CARVED ¨¨~«««=†*£
##¶£*†=«~¨ INTO THE  GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ¨~«=†*£¶##
£†=««~¨¨¨¨   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   ¨¨¨¨~««=†£
##¶£*†=«~¨      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      ¨~«=†*£¶##
¶££*†«¨¨¨¨    IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY     ¨¨¨¨«†*££¶
¶££**†=«~¨ UNDERSTOOD  THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ¨~«=†**££¶
¶*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨                  AWAY.                   ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*¶
#£*†«~~~¨¨                                          ¨¨~~~«†*£#
##¶£*†=«~¨ I  EXAMINED   THE  RIDGE,  THE  TREELINE ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ ABOVE.  WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW  OPPOSITE, ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T ¨~«=†*£¶##
£†«~¨¨¨¨¨¨                 REMEMBER.                ¨¨¨¨¨¨~«†£
##¶£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£¶##
£*†«««~¨¨¨ CARRYING FORWARD, ON  THE  VERY  TIP  OF ¨¨¨~«««†*£
##¶£*†=«~¨ THE ESKER,  I  FOUND THE RUINS  OF  SOME ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH  ¨~«=†*£¶##
£***=«~~~¨ THE MOSS,  AND  STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED ¨~~~«=***£
###£*†=«~¨ INTO  THE SLOPE  LIKE DAMS  AGAINST  THE ¨~«=†*£###
£†==~¨¨¨¨¨              GROUND ITSELF.              ¨¨¨¨¨~==†£
¶¶£†«~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~«†£¶¶
£††=«¨¨¨¨¨ SITTING THERE,  I COULD  SEE ACROSS  THE ¨¨¨¨¨«=††£
¶**†««~¨¨¨ NARROWED  LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ¨¨¨~««†**¶
##¶£*†=«~¨ SAT:  FROM  THE STAIRWELL  OF  MY HOUSE, ¨~«=†*£¶##
£*††††=«~¨ THROUGH  THE OLD WOODS BEHIND  THE  TILE ¨~«=††††*£
##¶£*†=«~¨      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      ¨~«=†*£¶##
£*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ TWENTY THREE  AND THEN  BACK  UNDER  IT, ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*£
##¶£*†=«~¨ THROUGH  THE   FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE ¨~«=†*£¶##
#¶*†=~¨¨¨¨ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT  TURN AT THE ¨¨¨¨~=†*¶#
##¶£*†=«~¨                   FORK.                  ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ AND  THEN THE  STAIRS UP  ON THE  RIDGE. ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ THINKING  BACK, THIS  WAS  PROBABLY  IT. ¨~«=†*£¶##
¶*†«~¨¨¨¨¨ HIDDEN IN  A  GROVE, THERE  WERE  STAIRS ¨¨¨¨¨~«†*¶
£*††=«¨¨¨¨ MUCH LIKE  THE ONES I  CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¨¨¨¨«=††*£
##¶£*†=«~¨ OLD  AND  WORN DOWN,  THAT  LEAD  YOU UP ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT  OF ENTRY. HAD ¨~«=†*£¶##
¶£**†«¨¨¨¨ I  INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH  AT ITS ¨¨¨¨«†**£¶
##¶£*†=«~¨ FOOT,  I'M SURE  MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE ¨~«=†*£¶##
£††††==«~¨          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ¨~«==††††£
£††«««~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«««††£
#¶¶£*†=«~¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨~«=†*£¶¶#
£†==~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~==†£
##¶£*†=«~¨ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE   WERE  PEOPLE  IN ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨ BOATS. I WONDERED,  COULD THEY  EVEN SEE ¨~«=†*£¶##
¶£**=~¨¨¨¨ ME? IF I  SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY  TURN  TO ¨¨¨¨~=**£¶
##¶£*†=«~¨         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ¨~«=†*£¶##
££££*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*££££
#£*†==~~~¨                                          ¨~~~==†*£#
¶*==«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«==*¶
##¶£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£¶##
##¶£*†=«~¨                                          ¨~«=†*£¶##